Costs Beyond Tuition for Music Students

A tuition figure rarely shows what a year of music study costs. Do not assume that private lessons, accompanists, instrument hire, practice rooms, recording software or audition travel are included; read the school's fee schedule line by line. This guide lists the categories to look for, with examples from official pages in their original currencies. Amounts are not converted, change each year, and are not a budget for you. For funding, see scholarships and graduate funding.

1. Application and audition fees

Practices differ widely. UCAS Conservatoires lists an application fee of £34.50 for the 2027 entry cycle and says that fees for auditions, interviews, recordings or portfolios are usually collected through UCAS at application stage, though some are paid directly to the conservatoire; your application shows the amount for each. Study in the Netherlands reports that some institutions charge non-EEA students, or those without prior Dutch education, €75 to €100 when applying, and Codarts says audition fees for bachelor and master programmes are none, as they are legally prohibited, though it lists a voice test at €165 for new vocalists in certain bachelor programmes. Many US school pages we read did not state audition fees; where a page is silent, ask.

Then count travel: flights, accommodation and time away from study or work for live auditions. See preparing for auditions.

2. Tuition: what is the fee for?

Check which fee applies to you. Codarts publishes a statutory fee of €2.694 for 2026-2027 for eligible EU/EEA students and an institutional fee of €11.000 for most non-EU/EEA bachelor and master programmes. In Hungary, the Liszt Academy lists 800,000 HUF per semester for bachelor programmes and 950,000 HUF per semester for master programmes, and says international students may pay in EUR at the Hungarian National Bank rate on the first day of classes; the page does not state the academic year. Lodz's Academy lists, in PLN, annual bachelor fees of 40,000 for piano, organ and harpsichord and 42,000 for strings, wind and percussion, and a separate 180 PLN registration fee. Bulgaria's National Academy of Music lists annual fees for non-EU citizens of €7,000 for the first year of a bachelor's degree and €8,500 for a master's degree.

3. Lessons and accompaniment as separate lines

Some fee pages price teaching or accompaniment separately. The Lodz page lists the Annual Artistic Training Program for Foreigners at 22,000 PLN with an accompanist and 17,000 PLN without, and the foundation year at 28,000 PLN with an accompanist for some strands and 22,000 PLN without for instrumental. Whether your degree includes accompaniment varies by school, so do not generalise from these examples.

San Francisco Conservatory of Music's 2026-27 page lists part-time private lesson (one hour weekly) at $21,060 per year, and secondary instrument or voice lessons at $5,880 per year for a half-hour weekly or $11,760 for an hour. Codarts lists contract lessons at €155 per individual lesson or €52 per group lesson (minimum ten lessons) plus €67 for the audition. If a school offers extra lessons, secondary instruments, coaching or masterclasses, ask for the price.

4. Mandatory fees, deposits and insurance

SFCM lists fixed annual fees of $1,750, a non-refundable $500 reservation fee credited toward first-semester tuition, and a student health insurance plan estimated at $2,385 per year for undergraduates (and $3,939 for graduate students), required for full-time students unless a domestic student waives it. Its page also notes inconsistencies in graduate figures and recommends confirming with the financial aid office, a reminder to check numbers with the school. Indiana University's Jacobs School lists estimated annual costs for 2026-27 separately for Indiana residents and nonresidents, with graduate tuition per credit. Codarts' fee page gives no amounts for study materials, instruments or insurance and says such costs vary by programme.

5. Housing and food

SFCM lists housing from $13,900 for a shared room to $21,000 for a single XL room, and dining plans from $1,020 to $7,499 yearly; the page does not state the housing period. Its estimated cost of attendance for undergraduates is $87,185 per year, including living expenses of $21,400. Other schools may not publish a housing figure at all. Ask whether housing is guaranteed, whether practice facilities are available there, and what the deposit terms are.

6. Instruments, equipment and software

Fee pages generally do not price your instrument. Consider purchase or hire, maintenance, strings and reeds, cases, tuning and insurance for valuable instruments; for composers and producers, notation or audio software, a computer and interface. For online study, Berklee's page notes that for courses, books, hardware and software are purchased separately unless stated; see online music study. Ask what the school provides: pianos, percussion, recording studios, instrument loans.

7. Practice rooms and facilities

Some schools charge facilities fees. UW-Madison's audition page states that its School of Music charges facilities-related fees in addition to university costs, links to a fee schedule and gives no amounts on that page. Ask whether practice rooms are free, bookable, or limited, and whether there are charges for recording studios, hire of halls for recitals or printing.

8. Recital, recording and performance costs

Degree recitals can involve hiring performers, accompanists or a recording engineer. Whether these are covered varies by school; the pages we read did not give figures, so ask the department. For composers, performance of student works may rely on volunteer performers; ask who pays for parts, copies and recordings.

9. Visa, immigration and healthcare

For international students there are application and health costs in addition to tuition. The UK's official student visa page lists £558 to apply from outside the UK and says a healthcare surcharge must be paid. See studying music abroad and check the official immigration page for the amounts that apply to you at the time.

10. Travel and living

Travel home, local transport, phone, books and personal expenses depend on your lifestyle. SFCM includes allowances for books and supplies of $1,000 and personal expenses of $2,000 in its estimate. Use the school's estimate as a starting point but adjust for your situation.

Build your own table

Fill each row from official pages, and email the school for anything blank. See choosing a music school, browse bachelor's programmes, and read the methodology for how we record fees.